About me? If I get a day off, you will most likely find me making stuff - random, unrelated stuff - like candles, pancakes, smartass poetry, paintings, muscles, jokes, stir-fried rice, collages, plans, sketches, and boxes of stuff to give away. I love my son, Dennis - he is my constant best friend. I love running, especially at night, and/or in the rain, and even up hills. I want a potter's wheel and kiln more than any other material thing. I was blessed to inherit a scrappy yella dog named TJ last summer, which is good because Theo had to be put down, and a girl needs a dog to bark at shadows. I am probably way too complicated and wordy for you. I have high standards, but I am not uppity. I am flexible, but uncompromising when it *really* matters. I am a gym rat, but I will eat a Snickers bar for lunch now & then. I can't stand shirts that say "Your boyfriend thinks I'm hot" or other comparable garbage. I'd rather have a grapefruit than cake. I hate puzzles unless it's a crossword. I LIKE church and I love Jesus and his dad, God. I try not to cuss too much. I would rather wear jeans and boots than mostly anything, but I like to dress like a girl when I feel like it. I like going to the gym, even when I have to take my Dennis with me and stay in the crowded mommy room. I like all kinds of healthy food, an occasional serving of fried taters, and cheesecake within reason ;) I take pride in shopping frugally. I try to live well within my means so that I can help others who need way more help than I have ever needed. I have fun with clothes; I enjoy perusing the new things in Vogue, but seldom pursuing. I do my own thing. I don't like diamonds and I wear a lot of charcoal gray. I hate slouchy boots, no matter how "vogue" they may be. I like MY big black boots. ;) I like a few different wines (mostly cheap gauche wines!) but I prefer whiskey. (I PREFER Drambuie and Jack.) I like swimming and biking, but not as much as running. I do like to go out, wherever "out" may be, but it's damn near impossible to find a babysitter who isn't a flake, or worse... Soo I don't go out much. :) My son is more important. I have probably watched various episodes of TMNT more than 20 times, involuntarily. (I have have grown to appreciate Donatello more than Raphael as I've matured, haha.) The nerd in me loves Scrabble, Scattergories, Balderdash, and the occasional crossword. My siblings and I sometimes have "nerd battles" when we visit. ;) I have a few close friends that I will always cherish; I am not opposed to meeting more. I am somewhat opposed to "meeting men." I have probably met enough, and I know what I want and what I can't accept. I won't entertain a man's upper half while some common trollop entertains his lower half. I'll never be the "other woman" or one of many women in a harem of hos. I'm very assertive. If I apologize, I meant it. If I don't - you're probably still wrong. I have become a master of the Tour de Life comeback; perhaps I am a Phoenix. Perhaps I am narcissistic. ;) Perhaps I really DO know what I know, because I've lived so much life... and you probably don't know what I mean yet, but I won't hold that against you right away. I have learned that family will always be the most important thing in the long run; no other relationship can be a substitute for a sister's love or a father's care or a mother's ear, or a brother's loyalty. :) I have learned to pro-actively keep them close, because when all else fails (and it might) they are my rock and my roots. I have a lot of work to do to get my life where I want it. I am STILL working on a degree and not sure exactly what I want to be "when I grow up" but I know How and Who I Want to Be ... and Who I Am Now. I have three speeds: scramble, slack, and sleep. I hate washing dishes, but I crank up the tunes and knock em every every couple o' days while daydreaming. I change my own oil and hair color every 3,000 miles or so. I don't often change my opinions and ideals; when I do, it's probably important. I am unabashedly pro-life, quietly patriotic, and actively gun-toting and free-speaking. I quit chewing tobacco, but it's okay if you do. I haven't gone fishing in years, but I want to go. I love camping, as long as I can wash my face, even in a lake. I sometimes forget to mow my lawn, even though it's Right There, getting out of control. I have a sizable pile of shirts that I intend to mend, awaiting button surgery or some other nonsense. You see... I am rather distract-able unless totally consumed by something artful and interesting, or highly motivated by possibilities, or fires lit under my ass. I have more clothes than I will ever need, and I am downsizing. I have a sweet little boy who always needs help cleaning his room, and I probably need to clean mine, as you are reading this. I am slowly working on sharing all my extra Stuff with the world of Goodwill and the Salvation Army, and then moving on and DOING MORE with LESS. I am not perfect, and I don't strive to be, but I am proud of who I am and I strive to be GOOD. :) I am currently an E-5 in the Air Force, reenlisted and serving until 2011. After that, I hope and pray to be some mix of a teacher, trainer, and coach ... and a weekend artist and adventurer. ;) I want to take my son fishing and also to art festivals and "nature hikes." Fortunately, Dennis is a lot like me and likes to do what I like to do. He is great company and keeps me grounded; I am not just me ...I am AJ and I am Mommy. I have a lot to do, and that is good. I can do it. And I am happy.
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Donate Blood at Sumter! (Or wherever you may be!) http://www.givelife.org
All this talk about the economy flat-lining & all the black clouds that go with it are sent rushing back from our sky when we quit moping, get off our butts, and DO something. Realize the best things in life are still FREE and people can help their fellow man EVERY DAY just by doing the simplest things. Give what you have - tutor, donate blood, mow a lawn. "Free" time, love, and blood cost us nothing when given away. BE THAT RAY of SUNSHINE, BE THAT WIND. Never mind a bunch of clouds:)
